How to Unlock (and Root) the Bell Galaxy S2. Step by Step Guide

[Blue1k]

So I'm pretty new to android just came over from an iphone. I followed your steps to root and unlock and it worked perfectly just wanted to thank you for that. Now my next question is should I change to this new kh3 rom and how do I do it? Also do you need titanium pro in order to do that freezing stuff you mentioned?

I would upgrade. KH3 and newer KI3 have much better battery management and GPS locking.

Ya need titanium pro. PM me

 

[drrules]

Okay, to start I just want to say that you are AWESOME!
Thank you.
My Bell SG2 is now rooted and unlocked. I have a few issues and was wondering if you could help me.

Being on Rogers I have that WONDERFUL SMS Time Stamp error. All incoming texts are 4 hours behind. There is an app called smstimefix which is what everyone says to use... there's just one issue. Whenever that app is installed about %50 of my texts just don't make it to my phone. (I only know because when I'm in Drive Mode it will say, "Message received from Adam" but nothing will be there.)

Is there a way to fix this with a kernel or something? Maybe an actual line of code to tell the phone that all incoming messages should add 4 hours? I have no idea, but I am lost.

Thank you very much.

Again, you ROCK!

 

[Blue1k]

Okay, to start I just want to say that you are AWESOME!
Thank you.
My Bell SG2 is now rooted and unlocked. I have a few issues and was wondering if you could help me.

Being on Rogers I have that WONDERFUL SMS Time Stamp error. All incoming texts are 4 hours behind. There is an app called smstimefix which is what everyone says to use... there's just one issue. Whenever that app is installed about %50 of my texts just don't make it to my phone. (I only know because when I'm in Drive Mode it will say, "Message received from Adam" but nothing will be there.)

Is there a way to fix this with a kernel or something? Maybe an actual line of code to tell the phone that all incoming messages should add 4 hours? I have no idea, but I am lost.

Thank you very much.

Again, you ROCK!

Hmm. I remember this issue on my HTC Magic on Fido.

Did a bit of searching and apparently 2.3.4+ fixes this issue. What firmware are you on?

My suggestion is to flash newer KI3 firmware and then reroot using CF-root-KI3 or flash Sicopat KI3 Pre-rooted rom in recovery (see my original post for help)

Thanks for the comments! much appreciated

 

[drrules]

Hmm. I remember this issue on my HTC Magic on Fido.

Did a bit of searching and apparently 2.3.4+ fixes this issue. What firmware are you on?

My suggestion is to flash newer KI3 firmware and then reroot using CF-root-KI3 or flash Sicopat KI3 Pre-rooted rom in recovery (see my original post for help)

Thanks for the comments! much appreciated

Thank you for the help. I'm on 2.3.3 and flashing to 2.3.4 sounds like a plan.

Again, thanks for the amazing assistance.

 

[FPCPineapple]

Thanks for the comments. Much appreciated

I got home last night after 15 hours with 29% battery! I'm serious.
The lowest I got was 10-11 hours with intense use. Not bad compared to what I used to get.

Here is what I did:

Using titanium pro I froze:

Samsung Social Hub (both processes)
Bell GPS Navigator (for KG2 firmware)
IMEI tracker
Software Update
Wifi Sharing Manager
Wifi Sharing (not wifi!)

Then I went into settings > power settings. Check System power savings. (not available in KG2)

Hey I got KI3 working on my phone thanks to your help, but now I have one final question lol... I can't seem to figure out how you were able to freeze all these things like the Bell GPs Navigator etc. using titanium pro... I cant find the options to do this! And are there any other places that I need to go into on the phone to help boost battery performance?

Thanks again!!! MUCH MUCH APPRECIATION!

 

[Evo23]

Probably the easiest thing for you would be to download Sicopat KI3 rom which is pre-rooted and very easy to install.

Sicopat KI3

1. Open CWM app and select backup. Better safe than sorry.
2. Download the sicopat zip file using your computer. Copy it to your internal storage on your phone. I put all my roms in USBStorage folder.
3. Launch CWM app. Choose Flash update. Navigate to the USBStorage folder and flash the sicopat zip

Your phone will now be a rooted KI3 phone.

To get rid of the triangle, flash a stock XXKI3 kernel (always match kernels with current version if possible) using odin. To flash with odin use my guide on first post and select PDA and flash away.

Stock Kernels

By the way, even if your phone is no longer rooted it will still be unlocked if you previously used the unlock app.

Good luck

Thanks for your reply! I will try it some time this week as I have been very busy working.

 

[Blue1k]

Thanks for your reply! I will try it some time this week as I have been very busy working.

I know the feeling lol

 

[Blue1k]

Hey I got KI3 working on my phone thanks to your help, but now I have one final question lol... I can't seem to figure out how you were able to freeze all these things like the Bell GPs Navigator etc. using titanium pro... I cant find the options to do this! And are there any other places that I need to go into on the phone to help boost battery performance?

Thanks again!!! MUCH MUCH APPRECIATION!

Ok, to freeze apps in Titanium Pro select BACKUP/RESTORE tab. Then scroll down to the rogue app of your choice and short click it (don't long press). Then select freeze app.

 

[Swissychief]

Hi! I just have to say this is an amazing thread! I have everything done and ALL questions answered except for... Why don't you use/advocate the use of ROM Manager? Is it any good? Is the Cyanogen 7.1.0 any good?

Oh and I can see what applications I should freeze for increased battery life, but what application should/could I delete now that I have the ability to do so?? Do I just manually delete the bloatware Bell stuff using Backup Manager Pro?

I have these that I'm wondering if are safe to delete:
Allshare
Self Serve
News and Weather
The other Hubs (music, reading)

Running on KI3 right now and it works perfectly. Updated as you described above to Evo23. So far things work faster (lock to home screen transition is lightning fast), but I haven't had time to test the battery. I was just wondering, and this probably has nothing to do with this thread, but I did notice that my home screen was little slow when going from screen 1-2. I removed my Widgets and it seems to have fixed that, but now I don't have my Active Applications widget since it was really slowing down the scrolling animation from page to page. Is there a way to fix that? Do you suggest using Root apps to tamper with Overclocking? One Click Lag Fix? Haha thanks for the amazing guides, btw!

 

[Blue1k]

Hi! I just have to say this is an amazing thread! I have everything done and ALL questions answered except for... Why don't you use/advocate the use of ROM Manager? Is it any good? Is the Cyanogen 7.1.0 any good?

Oh and I can see what applications I should freeze for increased battery life, but what application should/could I delete now that I have the ability to do so?? Do I just manually delete the bloatware Bell stuff using Backup Manager Pro?

I have these that I'm wondering if are safe to delete:
Allshare
Self Serve
News and Weather
The other Hubs (music, reading)

Running on KI3 right now and it works perfectly. Updated as you described above to Evo23. So far things work faster (lock to home screen transition is lightning fast), but I haven't had time to test the battery. I was just wondering, and this probably has nothing to do with this thread, but I did notice that my home screen was little slow when going from screen 1-2. I removed my Widgets and it seems to have fixed that, but now I don't have my Active Applications widget since it was really slowing down the scrolling animation from page to page. Is there a way to fix that? Do you suggest using Root apps to tamper with Overclocking? One Click Lag Fix? Haha thanks for the amazing guides, btw!

If you Sicopat KI3 you can install an add on that removes homescreen lag. It is on his thread at xda (link in above posts). I believe you can do this on any rooted KI3. No need to remove all your widgets.

I never have used rom manager because I was under the impression it works with CWM version not used with CFroot version. Not sure about this. Would have to check it out. That and it's so easy to download and install roms I never bothered lol

I wouldn't overclock. I don't see the need to get better benchmarks at the expensive of battery and stability. I run mine underclocked by checking power savings and it never lags.

The only experience I had with one click lag fix was with my Galaxy s and I wouldn't use it. Ryan's OCLF uses an extension 2 partition which is prone to fragmentation which is exactly what happened to my S after applying it. No idea how it is structured for the Galaxy S2. Try the fix on sicopat's thread first.

Hope this helps.

 

[Nirvana1000]

I tried rooting with step by step yesterday.And my phone froze with the android downloading notification for about a half hour.I shut down Odin and turned off my PC rebooted my phone and luckily all is good. I ticked PDA and downloaded the CF Root folder.But it was winrared!So was that the problem? Do i have to unzip it? Because i tried to extract it with Odin but it wouldn't do it,so it just downloaded the folder.
Update:I downloaded CF-Root-SGS2_XX_OXA_KF2-v4.0-CWM4 as my phone is MUGKG2.
Okay i just realized the file is KF2! Nevermind.

 

[Nirvana1000]

Okay a successful root with CF-Root-SGS2_XX_OXA_KG2-v4.1-CWM4.Thank You.

 

[Swissychief]

Ok, so I installed the MODS and I still experience the lag because of that ONE widget. Other Widgets don't seem to slow down my homescreen scrolling... Is there an alternative to using the Program Manager/Active Applications Widget?

Unless I missed something? You mentioned there being a Homescreen lag fix on SicOpaT's page, but I could only find a Home BUTTON lag fix (which I did apply).

 

[mobile363]

I have a Virgin phone. In Odin, when i click on PDA, it doesn't see the file i downloaded. I can type it in manually but will that still work? Dont want to proceed until i know

edit: nevermind

 

[Evo23]

I know the feeling lol

I finally found the time yesterday! Now I am running KI3 and love it! It also solved my GPS issue and heat problems. Thanks for your help!

The yellow triangle doesn't really bug me so I will try to remove it next time.

 

[Swissychief]

Would it be safe to do a cache/data wipe after I installed the new ROM with MODs?

 

[iyonny26]

Hi there i am a newbie.. i want to try android and this might be a stupid question. Does this method work for T-Mobile Simcard in USA? Thank you for your response.

 

[Blue1k]

Hi there i am a newbie.. i want to try android and this might be a stupid question. Does this method work for T-Mobile Simcard in USA? Thank you for your response.

The rooting method would not be the same. The CF root is not for that version.

The rooting application in market should work on your phone but I am not sure. Are there any comments from T-Mobile user who have used Helroz's app successfully in marketplace?

 

[Blue1k]

Would it be safe to do a cache/data wipe after I installed the new ROM with MODs?

I always wipe before putting in a rom. Avoids weird issues that seem to spring up.

 

[Blue1k]

Ok, so I installed the MODS and I still experience the lag because of that ONE widget. Other Widgets don't seem to slow down my homescreen scrolling... Is there an alternative to using the Program Manager/Active Applications Widget?

Unless I missed something? You mentioned there being a Homescreen lag fix on SicOpaT's page, but I could only find a Home BUTTON lag fix (which I did apply).

Oh sorry for the misunderstanding. I haven't used that widget before. I assumed you meant home button.
There are other managers in the market with widgets. Not as nice though as the Sammy one

 

[goliath553]

Thank you muchly for your fantastic guide. Just rooted/unlocked/froze my Bell GS2. Worked Flawlessly.

Update:
Also Just flashed my phone to the K13 Rom mentioned above. Worked great. (except I had to manually reboot after flashing, as it froze booting the first time - kinda scary)

I am now running a rooted/unlocked/frozen Android 2.3.5. Thanks again!

Update 2:
My phone has been extremely stable since the flash to K13. Also my battery life literally improved 100%. I listened to music for 2 hrs, checked the web a few times, twitter, email, and had wifi/bluetooth on all day, it's been 14hrs and 22 min and I still have 73% battery.

Thanks again.

 

[JDD123]

Your guide make it possible for me rooted/unlocked my GS2, Thank you so much but when unlocking the phone using Galaxy S Unlock, instead of pressing Unlock SGII, I hit Unlock SGS (stupid me) and unlocked the phone. Now when I open Galaxy S Unlock I get this message "It's possible you have problem busybox, please install it or fix it". I searched the net but nothing out there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: Nevermind I figure what the problem was, CF-root wasn't install properly, wiping and re-rooting fixed the issue, now I'm rooted/unlocked/frozen Android 2.3.5. Everything Worked Flawlessly.

 

[cliffhanger]

Hi!
i'll like to root my SGS2 getting tired of the bloatware and I'm on bell network.
How can i root this phone without bricking.There is a lot off info here but is all comfuzing can anyone post step by step plus link where to get ROM?
thanks a lot

 

[cliffhanger]

will XXKI3 : XXKI3_SicOpaT_BASE_ODEX (324 MB) and QR Code work when rooting from stock?
does any one saw good youtube video?

 

[JDD123]

Hi!
i'll like to root my SGS2 getting tired of the bloatware and I'm on bell network.
How can i root this phone without bricking.There is a lot off info here but is all comfuzing can anyone post step by step plus link where to get ROM?
thanks a lot

Blue's guide is as clear as it can get, just follow it to the letter you will not have any problem.

[B][COLOR=#0000cd]Bell Galaxy S2 (i9100M) Unlock Guide with Steps[/COLOR][/B]


Please ensure you are on KG2 before proceeding. You want to use a rooted  kernel that matches the ROM you are currently running. Dial *#1234# to  find out



1. Go to this XDA thread: [URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1103399%22%20target=%22_blank%22%20rel=%22nofollow"][B]XDA Developers Galaxy S2 Root[/B][/URL] and download this file: [B]CF-Root-SGS2_JP_XSG_KG2-v4.1-CWM4[/B]
2. Next, unzip the file you downloaded. There will be a file left inside. Leave it alone. 
3. Using the same thread, download [B]Odin[/B] from XDA. Odin is a  flashing tool used by Samsung developers to flash roms, kernels etc.  Unzip Odin into a folder and leave it for now.
4. You will need to install Samsung Kies which is like iTunes for your  Samsung Phone.  If you have not you can get it from here: [URL="http://www.samsung.com/ca/support/mobilesoftwaremanual/mobilesoftwaremanual.do?page=MOBILE.SOFTWARE.MANUAL"][B]Kies Canada[/B][/URL].  Make sure Kies fully installs and connect your phone at least once so  it loads all the necessary drivers. Then close Kies and disconnect your  phone from computer.
5. You will need Debugging to be active. To do this on your phone, go to  SETTINGS>APPLICATIONS>DEVELOPMENT>check debugging
6. Next, go to the folder on your computer where you have Odin and  launch it. Press the PDA button and select the file you unzipped in step  2 (CF-Root file)
7. Power off your phone. Now, before connecting your phone to Odin you must put it into download mode. To do this simply press: [B]HOME button, VOLUME DOWN, and POWER-all at the same time.[/B] 
8. Then connect your phone and let it load all the drivers. Once Odin  shows a YELLOW com box you are good to go. Press start and boom it will  install the patched kernel. Your phone will reboot and it will be  rooted. This means you have full access to system files and is like  jailbreaking on an iPhone. (You will see a yellow triangle when it reboots, fear not it's to be expected. Remove the USB cable when the phone reboots.)
9. Now simply open the Android market app on your phone and download the free app called "[B]Galaxy_S Unlock"[/B] by Helroz
10. Open the app and allow it superuser authority if it asks. Then click the tab that says unlock SGII
11. There will be 3 steps listed. Press step 1. Then step 2 (and let it  completely reboot...may take a few minutes). Then once rebooted open the  app and press step 3.

Your phone will now work with any SIM. 
Congrats! :)

Note: Important before you get to step 6, make sure Kies is NOT running in the background to do this go to task manager kill all Kies application because Kies will not let Odin runs properly.

Like Blue I don't mind the yellow triangle so I leave it at that. (If you get rid of the yellow triangle now when you upgrade your firm ware it will come back) Now if you want to upgrade your firmware and get rid off the triangle then follow Blue's again

Sicopat [B][URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1183774"]KI3[/URL][/B]

1. Open CWM app and select backup. Better safe than sorry. 
2. Download the sicopat zip file using your computer. Copy it to your  internal storage on your phone. I put all my roms in USBStorage folder. 
3. Launch CWM app. Choose Flash update. Navigate to the USBStorage folder and flash the sicopat zip

Your phone will now be a rooted KI3 phone. 

To get rid of the triangle, flash a stock XXKI3 kernel (always match  kernels with current version if possible) using odin. To flash with odin  use my guide on first post and select PDA and flash away.

[B][URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1075278"]Stock Kernels[/URL][/B] 

By the way, even if your phone is no longer rooted it will still be unlocked if you previously used the unlock app. 

Good luck :)

Now you're rooted/unlocked with Android 2.3.5.

This guide is using CR-Root method, If you want to use another method then read this: [ROM+Guide]Official i9100 Firmwares KG, KH1/2/3/4, KI1/2/3/4/8, KJ1/2 Download - xda-developers which is using SuperOneClick with insecure KDD kernel from Chainfire. Thanks to Blue all the info already here I hope that simplify enough for you. Happy Rooting